The U.S. moves to restrict Chinese airlines from flying over Russia on routes to and from the United States harm bilateral exchanges, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Lin made the remarks in response to reports that major Chinese airlines are urging the Trump administration to abandon plans to ban them from operating China-U.S. flights that use Russian airspace.
"The U.S. restrictions on Chinese airline operations are not conducive to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and also harm U.S. own interests. We have also noticed that the American public has expressed a great deal of opposition. We support Chinese companies in safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests," said Lin.
China slams US flight restrictions on Chinese airlines
